Featured Image Credit: Jam Press/Getty Stock Images
Topics: Mental Health, US News
Poppy Bilderbeck
A woman has opened up about the pros and cons of living life as an avid nudist.
While many of us cage our breasts in wire and nylon and go to the beach with a mate we've designated as our 'nip slip' watcher, others have chosen to frolick wild and free - ditching not just their bras, but all of their clothes altogether.
However, living as a nudist does come with some consequences, with Steph Sinn from Los Angeles in the US revealing the most 'painful' part of her choosing to live as naked a life as possible.
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The 31-year-old decided to embrace as nude a life as she can because 'we were born into this world naked' and she finds it 'empowering' and 'free,' working for True Naked Yoga – a streaming platform that launched in 2018.
Sinn argues after we were all born we were 'conditioned to believe that our nude bodies are purely for sex' which has led people to wear clothes.
And when she's forced to wear clothes to conform to rules of society? Well, she does, but not willingly, and still doesn't 'wear bras or underwear'.
But what do her parents, friends and loved ones think of her decision to 'do nude yoga, go hiking in the buff' and be 'naked' at any opportunity she can?
Well, Sinn explains she grew up in 'a pretty open household' and has 'fond memories of afternoons playing naked on the lawn with a hose and slip ‘n’ slide'.
She says she was 'never shamed for [her] lack of clothing' however once she hit puberty, being naked around her family 'naturally dwindled' but being a competitive swimmer, she was around people who were 'minimally-clothed' a lot which Sinn believes had 'an unconscious impact' on her.
Despite this, she admits her parents did have 'reservations' when she told them she was going to become a 'nude model and yoga instructor'.
"But they were mainly concerned for my safety and how it might affect my future in 'less open' career settings," she continues. "Luckily, they support me and now understand that I find it empowering."
Unfortunately, not all her friends felt the same.
Sinn reveals she's 'had to close doors with a few' mates she cared about because of disagreements over her lifestyle choices.
However, the nudist resolves: "That's been painful, but I figure those who are truly meant to be in my life, regardless of their perspective on nudity, will stick around.
"[...] I hope to inspire others to take care of their body and to prioritise their health and wellness. It is a beautiful thing to connect with my surroundings and other humans in this way."